Canadian newscaster Tess van Straaten hits back at 'inappropriate' dress criticism

Tess van Straaten is firing back at criticism over her "inappropriate" dress.

On Sunday, the Canadian newscaster took to Twitter to fire back after being shamed for wearing a sleeveless dress on the air. The British Columbia-based newscaster shared a photo of the negative feedback she received alongside a photo of the "inappropriate" dress in question.

"I find it inappropriate for Tess van Straaten to still wear sleeveless tops in the wintertime to report on the weather," the commenter wrote. "In my opinion, she should be wearing a suit jacket and look more professional like other newscasters around the world. Sorry for the negative comment, but it is almost upsetting to see what she is wearing."

"This is what women in broadcasting sadly still face in 2023," Van Straaten clapped back. "Do you think my dress is 'almost upsetting'?"

The CHEK News personality doubled down in a second tweet, explaining that while she "used to just ignore comments like this," she recently "decided to start calling them out."

"We need to stand up and speak out so that things change. It’s truly heartbreaking to see what women in other parts of the world are faced with," she added. "I really have no words."

Van Straaten's tweets quickly gained support from fans who assured her that her outfit was far from inappropriate.

"It's a lovely dress and that person doesn't have nearly enough to worry about in their life if they're still enflamed by what a woman doing her job is wearing," one person tweeted, to which van Straaten replied:

"I'd planned to wear a blazer today but after that email, I think I may go sleeveless because I don't want them to think it impacted my wardrobe choice!"

"You're such a professional, and your arms showing shouldn’t even be part of the conversation," another penned.

"It is sad and ridiculous that people feel it is appropriate to comment on your choice of clothing like that," someone else wrote. "You always look poised and professional to me."

"Men don't usually get criticized for clothing in different public situations," one Twitter user pointed out. "Your dress is tasteful. Great design. Appropriate."

This isn't the first time that a woman in broadcasting has faced ridicule for her on-air look.

In 2019, Canadian meteorologist hit back at critics who body shamed her.

And just last year, Good Morning America meteorologist Ginger Zee slammed a troll who said she dressed "like a streetwalker."

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